The Devil You Know!
by KissedByAWolf
Summary: Follow Clay Morrow and his journey from Vietnam to SAMCRO. #First9


++ Part 1 - Coming home. ++

» 1973 «

▬ The power to cause pain is the only power that matters.  
The power to kill and destroy.  
Because, if you can't kill,  
Then you are always subject to those who can  
And nothing and no-one will ever save you. ▬

[The floor was hard … too hard to get any real sleep, and even if I had managed to catch just a couple of minutes, the distant gunfire and explosions made sure to keep it to a minimal, tonight was different though. It was quiet, maybe a little /too/ quiet the kind that the silence ate at you, warning you that it was the "Calm before the storm." I tried to push the thoughts aside and instead of focusing on why it was so quiet just enjoy the peace for now.

Leaning back against one of the tree trunks, I reached behind to grab my last pack of cigarettes. We hadn't had necessities dropped lately, and I was running low on Smokes. I didn't let that bother me as placed it between my lips and lit it up, taking a long and much needed drag.

When there was no explosions, gunfire, screams or cries from injured men, the silence was very welcoming. Vietnam had been filled with guys just like me; a rebel with a cause; wanting any kind of excitement, any excuse to get away from their shit lives, it wasn't so much about protecting our "country" as it was that you got to be in the middle of something bigger than yourself. I, like every guy who survived Vietnam, it changed me .. I left as one person and came back as someone I barely recognized. It made me long for those "boring" days at times and other times, it felt like a dream .. I mean; C'mon what little kid doesn't dream of being paid to play with the big guns. Why follow the rules when breaking them was so much more fun?!

For the first time in ages, the evening sounds could be heard in the grass just a few steps from where my squad was camped out for the night. It was rare moments like this one, I would think of her. The dark haired, feisty girl I met just before being shipped out to the Jungle.

I didn't exactly have the best reputation when it came to fathers. They seemed to take one look at me and warn their daughters to stay away, it had been that way for as long as I could remembered, up until recently, it didn't bother me. Settling down and having a family had never been on my agenda. Besides; I'm pretty sure I was sent here to piss the world off, besides; why settle for one chick when there was an ocean of them looking to piss off Daddy.

Gemma Maddock was different though, the daughter of a preacher; but you wouldn't have thought that when you met her, she was everything a preacher's daughter shouldn't be. From the first moment of a interaction, I was crazy about her, it was a new sensation for me. She wanted to run away from her controlling family, I would have done anything for her but then I got drafted and everything changed. It was the best 2 weeks of my life and just like that it was over. We didn't keep in touch but she was the reason I fought so hard to stay alive.

The silence didn't last long before a multitude of explosions went off followed by gunfire coming at us from every direction, causing the would be quiet evening to turn into complete chaos. Flicking away the cigarette, I grabbed my M16 Rifle and ducked for cover; But it was hard to see their silhouettes hidden within the trees and long grass. The ambush lasted only a few minutes and more than half of our squad were gone within a blink of an eye.]

-

[A loud thud resounded around the small motel room, when I opened my eyes I found myself laying on the hard floor, my heart beating wildly within the confinement of my chest, ever since I had returned Stateside, nightmares of that night haunted my dreams, making it almost impossible to get any kind of sleep. The phone besides me began to ring on time to remind me that I needed to get up, it had been almost three months since I had returned to the US and still, I felt unsure of where I was going or what I should be doing. The crumpled letter in my back pocket from an old friend John Teller, was burning a hole through my pocket, Moving swiftly back to my feet. I dusted myself off before grabbing my jeans and shirt and heading into the tiny bathroom that held just a toilet and shower. I needed to be back on the road anyway.

In that letter, John had mentioned he started a club with a couple of friends, everyone feeling the same was I was, restless. There was no excitement, no adventures and no sense of the brotherhood ▬ the kind where you would gladly step in front of a bullet to save your friend and knowing that he would do the exact same thing for you.

I had been driving around for months now, the restlessness was starting to get to me; when I remembered the invitation to join J.T and some friends in San Diego, California. It was a long drive from Nevada, where I was currently held up in. But since I only had myself and my bike to worry about, It didn't bother me all that much. A slight and rare smile breaking out across my face at the thought of going back to California, where I'd spent most of my teenage years riding those roads with various friends. A small town not too far from San Diego just happened to be the same place I had met Gemma all those years ago, I couldn't help but wonder where she was now and what she had been up too.

Shoving the crumpled letters into my backpack, I took one quick look around the motel room to make sure I had all that I needed before I left, the growl of my stomach the only reminder that I hadn't eaten since lunchtime yesterday. I remembered seeing a diner around the corner, I figured since I needed to fill my bike up with gas, I'll stop for breakfast before hitting the road again. There wasn't any feeling like being on the open road, just you and your bike … There isn't much that I'm sure of in this world. But I know this is what I was made for, all I needed was my Bike and an open road to be happy.]

▬ Well those drifter's days are past me now  
I've got so much more to think about  
Deadlines and commitments  
What to leave in, what to leave out ▬


End file.
